Summer Program in Quantitative Methods of Social Research

Why choose the ICPSR Summer Program?

The ICPSR Summer Program in Quantitative Methods of Social Research is recognized throughout the world as the preeminent forum for basic and advanced training in the methodologies and technologies of social science research.

What background or experience is needed?

Do you offer courses at my level?

The ICPSR Summer Program offers a wide variety of classes covering many aspects of research design, data analysis, and statistical methods. A number of the courses are arranged into sequential tracks ranging from elementary subjects through highly advanced topics.

Instructional Track I courses provide introductory-level instruction in basic skills (e.g., mathematics, computing, and introductory statistics).

Instructional Track II courses provide more detailed coverage of particular statistical methods (e.g., regression analysis), computing languages (e.g., the R statistical software environment), and general approaches to analyzing social phenomena (e.g., game theory).

Instructional Track III courses provide advanced quantitative training (e.g., Bayesian methods) and require substantial prior training.

Other non-tracked courses focus on the application of quantitative approaches to research in particular substantive areas (e.g., race and ethnicity). Finally, the Hubert M. Blalock Lecture Series provides accessible and relatively informal presentations of cutting-edge methodological topics (e.g., data mining), often given by researchers who have made important contributions to the very topics that they are discussing.

How big are the classes? How are they taught?

Classes vary from small workshops through large lectures. Regardless of class size, the general instructional philosophy within the ICPSR Summer Program is grounded in a participatory orientation. Students are encouraged to interact on a regular basis with course instructors, both within and outside the classroom. This approach is supported by the Summer Program's infrastructure, which includes classrooms equipped with state-of-the-art presentation media; an extensive library of works pertaining to social research and statistical methods; a large network of high-end computers containing current versions of powerful statistical software; and a physical setting that facilitates ongoing face-to-face contact between students, instructors, and program staff.

When and where are the classes offered?

The traditional core of the ICPSR Summer Program consists of two four-week sessions, which run from mid- June through mid-August each year, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Additional Summer Program classes are held throughout the summer, from late May through the end of August. These latter classes usually follow a shorter, three- to five-day format, and they are held at a variety of locations, including Indiana University (Bloomington, IN), the University of Massachusetts (Amherst, MA), the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, NC), the University of California, Berkeley (Berkeley, CA) and the University of Colorado at Boulder (Boulder, CO), in addition to the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI).

Can I get credit for these courses?

Most Summer Program courses can be taken for graduate credit. However, participants often enroll in the Program on a noncredit basis. Many participants also make arrangements to obtain academic credit at their home institutions for courses taken in the ICPSR Summer Program.

Who attends the program?

The ICPSR Summer Program serves a multidisciplinary and international constituency. Traditionally, the largest numbers of enrollments have come from political science, sociology, and psychology departments within the United States. Currently, however, participants represent about 25 different academic disciplines from approximately 200 colleges, universities, and organizations in more than 25 different nations. Feel free to email the Summer Program staff at sumprog@icpsr.umich.edu if you have additional questions.